One of the unexpected challenges that I dealt with early on in my career was the ability to change gears and adjust to the ebbs and flows of the business world. While this now seems a bit silly to me many years down the road, it’s actually a skill that I’ve worked diligently to develop. In the world of finance and accounting, this skill is often an unwritten component of the job, but this skill is applicable across the board as well.
The first project that I worked on was fast-paced, demanding, and involved the ability to prioritize and juggle multiple different requirements. At this point in my career, I loved this. I thrived on feeling needed and the instant gratification of quick results, relished the amount of knowledge I was soaking in because of the pace and the multitude of facets to the project, and flourished being able to work with the colleagues I was surrounded by.
When the project ended, I didn’t want to downshift. I continued to arrive early to work, stay late, and constantly ask for more assignments. This sounds like a great new employee, in theory, but I was fortunate to have managers that were looking out for me as a whole person. They advised that I should take the opportunity to come into work at a more reasonable hour and leave work at a more typical time while my workload allowed. They advised that if I kept on every day at the pace that I was going that I would quickly burn out. So I tried to heed their advice, and while it took some time, I eventually got better (slightly, not markedly) at this.
For a while, I worked on this and improved slightly but was still generally getting to work earlier than everyone else and was one of the last ones to leave. But to me, it felt like a decent balance at the time and I was continuing to grow and learn. I then got assigned to my next big project, which was again fast-paced, demanding, and multi-faceted. I kicked right back into high gear and remained there for several months in my project role as well as eventually a new role that I would take on as a result of the project. This had again become the new normal for me.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The early parts of this jolt did actually make work more grueling, as it did for most, as we adapted in an instant to fully remote work, adapted our viewpoints on the outside world, and continued to meet public filing deadlines. However, when that had all subsided, it hit me. Being home with my family, being more present for small moments with my family and friends, and being able to just breathe made me put the amount of work I had been doing in perspective. More importantly, it illuminated that my priorities had been all jumbled.
So I began to log in and log out at more normal times, I started working out with a personal trainer, and spent more time doing simple things like puzzles with my dad or watercrafting with my mom. And although I was reminded of the joy I gained organically from everyday life, it didn’t mean that I didn’t still very much enjoy my job and that I wasn’t still highly motivated to keep achieving and gain validation through my profession. I had just realized the importance of striking a balance which made me feel more rejuvenated both in my work and in my everyday life.
While this skill may sound trivial in the universe of skills one needs to excel professionally, I would argue that the ability to power through work when needed but quickly revert back to a more reasonable pace as time allows is one of the most valuable skills you can have in your toolbelt because it allows you to allocate time proportionally to the priorities that are most important to you. My argument is based on the following lessons learned regarding this topic:
- Perspective is critical to prioritization. Without having the right perspective, it’s easy to get caught in the weeds of getting to the next rung in the ladder. This leads to an obsession with validation rather than joy. Validation via promotions, raises, more responsibilities, or an “atta girl” are just a few examples. When I was forced to take a step back during COVID and be more present with my family, nature, and myself, I realized how much joy I got from things outside of work. This was what snapped me into more markedly improving my work-life balance.
- Don’t wait for a shake-up to reflect on your priorities and if you’re giving them proportionately enough attention. However, if it does come to a shake-up jolting you into a new perspective, grab it by the horns and don’t let go until you’ve had that breakthrough.
- The ability to shift gears (down or up) allows one to pace themselves through any profession so as to not burn out, to achieve better work-life balance, and to still stay in good graces with senior management when that time comes to kick it into high gear.
Do you feel you’re allocating your time proportionately to your priorities? When was the last time you stepped back and evaluated this?
Disclaimer: This blog should not be construed as providing, or intending to provide, professional financial, legal, psychological, or other professional advice. It is simply meant to share my experiences for those that may find them relatable and helpful.